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The Detroit News reports Carroll Shelby will finally be buried some two months after his death. Two factions of the legendary designer's family have finally settled on what do with his remains.

One one side, Shelby's children claimed he wanted his remains cremated and divided between them and a plot in Texas. His surviving wife, Cleo Shelby, said the document detailing those wishes was a forgery, and that Carroll Shelby had actually signed different paperwork two years ago giving her control over his remains. The two parties lawyered up, but earlier this week said that they were close to reaching a settlement that would prevent a civil trial.

The agreement will see Shelby cremated and his ashes split five ways, with the final portion going to his wife. Shelby's oldest son, Michael, says he and his siblings aren't happy with the arrangement, but are eager to finally bury their father.

We just hope we die long before we're famous.

Honing The Arrow's Luxury Leviathan



It's a wonder luxury SUVs survived the mass extinction event of the 2007-2009 recession at all. As investment accounts withered on the vine and fuel prices comfortably boiled past the underside of $5.00 per gallon in some places, chicken-little minded Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator owners couldn't have tossed their keys any quicker if you'd told them the fobs were hewn from chunks of raw BPA by pro-choice Iraqi gay-rights activists. Those shining symbols of status and accomplishment transmuted into social millstones overnight, and used car lots quickly piled up with row after row of models boasting 22-inch wheels and seating for seven.

But the full-size luxury SUV and its brethren didn't vanish from the face of the Earth. Far from it. Clever product planners and marketing managers quickly worked to repackage everything buyers loved about their oil-field-sucking family haulers into new, modestly more efficient and socially acceptable packages. Thus began the reign of the crossover. Mercedes-Benz became something of an artisan in this field, and its efforts have been well rewarded. Last year, the company sold more light trucks alone than it did all of its models combined in 2005.

At the top of that high-riding food chain is the GL-Class. The mammoth utility services the company's youngest average buyer at 48 years old and recently eclipsed the aforementioned Escalade as the most popular full-size luxury SUV in the States. For 2013, the GL has grown in every measurable dimension, offers subtly more fuel-efficient drivetrain options and a rash of standard and available technology, all supported by a miracle-working air-ride suspension. The changes are enough to put the GL that much farther ahead of the ancient Cadillac, but the recipe isn't perfect.

NASCAR has indefinitely suspended Penske Racing driver AJ Allmendinger after a second drug test confirmed the presence of "a banned substance" in his system. Race officials have not clarified exactly which substance was found in Allmendinger's urine samples, but a spokesperson for the driver said he has contracted an independent lab to test the products he uses on a regular basis to see if there's a reason behind the positive result. The Allmendinger camp says the results were within nanograms of accepted parameters, though NASCAR has declined to comment on the levels themselves.

Meanwhile, the driver took to Twitter to assure fans that he "will do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this and get back out there no matter what." Previously, Allmendinger had tested positive for a stimulant back in June and was temporarily suspended on July 7, but denies knowingly taking any banned substances.

At this juncture, Allmendinger will only be reinstated as a driver once he completes a "Road to Recovery" program. NASCAR will issue a letter on that program, and the driver will have to agree to those terms in order to take part.

In the interim, Sam Hornish, Jr. will take Allmendinger's seat at Indianapolis for the next race.

Ford Motor Company announced Wednesday that it has posted a $1 billion profit for the second quarter of 2012. That sounds like good news for the Blue Oval, until you take into account that Ford posted a $2.4 billion profit for Q2 a year ago. That is a substantial 58 percent loss.

Ford also posted $465 million in international losses, with $404 million of those losses coming directly from Europe. The automaker also increased its European loss projections to $1 billion for 2012, due in large part to the economic crisis overseas, which has resulted in increased unemployment and decreased consumer confidence.

The $404 million loss actually beat out loss projections for this quarter, based on estimates from a month ago. The result was a 1.8 percent increase in Ford's stock, based on pre-market trading this morning.

Ford's North American unit posted a profit of $2 billion in Q2 – the second economic quarter in a row in which the company posted profits in excess of $2 billion.

Additionally, the investor service Moody's returned the Blue Oval's investment grade to its 2006 status. If you recall, that was when the company leveraged nearly everything, allowing it to avoid government bailout. Before this news, Fitch Ratings had restored Ford's investment grade as well.

It's been over a decade since Rolls-Royce last offered a Corniche, which was the company's name for its unibody coupe and convertible models since the early 1970s. But from the looks of what our photographers recently snapped in Munich, that drought may soon be over.

What they've spied is the 2014 Rolls-Royce Corniche coupe, a forthcoming model based on the Rolls-Royce Ghost. Never mind the fake door handles and rear doors on the test mules, the production Corniche will have just two suicide doors like its big brother the Phantom coupe.

Powertrain will probably be carried over from the Ghost sedan, meaning a 6.6-liter V12. We suspect that BMW will roll out its new Roller at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2013. Until then, our spies will keep their eyes open for more prototypes, including the oft-rumored convertible.

One of the most exclusive upcoming supercars has just become a little bit more... exclusive.

Aston Martin has announced that the production run of its stunningly badass V12 Zagato will be cut from 150 to 101 units. Whether or not this is in response to low demand is not known, but for those who have signed on to purchase the €400,000 coupe, the value of their bounty is likely to increase.

The V12 Zagato was not penned by the famous design house. Rather, it was the result of an internal design competition. The car consists of an aluminum and carbon fiber body, and the underpinings of the Aston Martin V12 Vantage. Each car will take 2,000 man hours to build, with 100 hours alone spent on the paint job.

The combination of extensive carbon fiber use and the 510-horsepower 6.0-liter V12 means it will be one super fast – and ultra rare – supercar.

Honda sells six model lines in the UK: the Accord, Civic, CR-Z, CR-V, Insight and Jazz. Three of those, the Civic, CR-V and Jazz, are made at Honda UK Manufacturing's facilities in Swindon, while the Accord, CR-Z and Insight are built in Japan. The hybrids are niche models that don't fit in the mass-market pipeline, but that's not the case with the Accord. According to a story in Autocar, pressures on Accord sales due to its assembly location and European market tastes have lead Honda to declare that the next generation might not make it to the UK.

The strong Japanese yen has pressured the profits of every export model built there. But exerting even more pressure than that on the Accord are the European market's moves to small SUVs and to cars with a lower CO2 tax. Autocar says the Accord is down to about 2,500 sales per year. By comparison, the D-segment Vauxhall Insignia sold 2,949 units in May alone. Admittedly there will be brisk business and fleet sales bolstering that number, but the essentially five-year-old Nissan Qashqai moved 4,775 units in June. If Honda can't figure out a solution to bolster the Accord's UK fortunes, it might take a break from the 'sceptered isle.

This could be something or it could be nothing, but it's got us curious and we have no idea what it is. A site in China found what appear to be renderings of a three-door Toyota Yaris wearing an as-yet-unseen body kit and a Lexus-shaped grille. The changes are thorough, and alterations like the bulging fenders front and back and the deep skirting all-round indicate that they aren't taken casually. Of particular note is the spindle grille lifted from the Lexus design book and what looks like an aero element around the rear glass.

Theories so far are that it is a concept for an upcoming Chinese auto show, a sportier Yaris production model that will be added to the lineup, a factory-installed kit or a tuner kit. Or it could have something to do with Toyota's return to the World Rally Championship. A company source has already cited the Yaris as the car that "makes sense," with Autoweek reporting it will be a "Yaris-based" entry even though the Yaris is too short according to the WRC regulations. One issue with that, though, is that the tiny, split-twin exhaust pipes make no sense for a WRC car; the Mini WRC car runs its pipes the same way, but they're huge. We will look out for more information on whatever kind of Yaris this might be.

Just hours ago, a high-resolution teaser shot of the 2014 Mazda6 leaked onto the internet, giving us a very clear glimpse of the new sedan's front fascia. Not to be outdone, Mazda has responded by releasing three more high-res images of the new car, which we've learned will officially debut at the 2012 Moscow Auto Show next month.

After looking at the new quartet of images, along with the series of teaser videos – all one, two, three, four of them – there's little to be left to the imagination when it comes to the design of Mazda's rakish new sedan. From what we can see so far, this thing looks mighty handsome. The company's new Kodo design language is certainly flaunting its stuff here, with a more aggressive front fascia and upswept profile line that, like the CX-5, gives the car the impression of being "up on its haunches," as one Mazda representative described it to us once.

Right now, all we know is that Mazda plans to debut its new midsize sedan with a 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G gasoline four-cylinder, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The Japanese automaker has also stated that the 2014 Mazda6 will feature the company's new i-ELOOP (short for Intelligent Energy Loop) capacitor-based regenerative braking system that will, according to Mazda, "improve economy by up to 10 percent."

Following the Russian-spec car's debut on August 29, the rest of the world will have to wait until the Paris Motor Show in late September to see exactly what's in store for each individual market. Scroll down for Mazda's official press blast.

It's hard to believe that Audi launched the R8 a full seven years ago. Since that time, the automaker has kept the two-seat sports car fresh with several changes including the addition of the roofless Spyder, an optional V10 and the sportier GT model, but now Audi has determined that it's finally time for the model's first full-on refresh. Today, Audi revealed the revamped 2013 R8 lineup, highlighted by subtle styling changes, a seven-speed S-tronic transmission (no more dreadful R-tronic!) and a new flagship V10 Plus model.

It takes a keen eye to pick out the design changes to the new R8, the most prominent being the redesigned LED headlights and taillights that come standard on all models. Audi has also revised the front bumper and grille, and out back, there's a larger diffuser and new circular tailpipes.

Perhaps the biggest change to the R8 for 2013 is the addition of the new seven-speed S-tronic transmission that utilizes two mult-plate clutches. Each clutch engages with two independent sub-transmissions and alternately select gears, resulting in smoother shifts that take mere hundredths of as second. Thankfully, a six-speed manual is still offered, although Audi claims that the car equipped with the S-tronic is actually faster to 60 miles per hour by three-tenths of a second in all models.

A new R8 V10 Plus arrives at the flagship model, featuring the same carbon fiber reinforced plastic used on the R8 GT. The front splitter, mirrors, side blades, rear diffuser and lining for the engine compartment are all constructed of the lightweight material. The 5.2-liter V10 has also been slightly improved compared to the standard V10 model, producing 550 horsepower and 398 pound-feet torque.

European models will start rolling off the line at the end of this year, and while Audi has not mentioned U.S. availability or pricing, we expect our version of the R8 to follow very shortly thereafter. Scroll down to watch a video of the 2013 Audi R8 in action or to read the complete details in the official press release.

We're not going to say this is the creepiest thing you'll see all day. After all, if the internet is good for anything, it's freaking us the hell out.

A Czech artist in London has crafted a unique tribute to the 2012 Olympic Games by building a double-decker bus with massive human arms. The machine is cursed to a life of doing push-ups for the rest of eternity by its creator David Cerny, who says he chose the exercise because it is common to all sports and every athlete from every walk of life.

As if seeing a double-decker bus with human limbs isn't disturbing enough, the 1957 people-mover moans in exertion with every press. We'll be seeing this one in our nightmares. You, however, can check it out in the video below.

The installation, dubbed "London Booster" is currently installed outside of the Business Design Center in London.

From what we can tell, the full-size truck will mark a return of the full-length chrome grille bar, missing from the previous Silverado, but present on models older than 2007. Other than that, the exterior is largely camouflaged, including an oval piece in the center of the grille, likely placed by a Chevy engineer with a sense of humor.

The big story here is on the inside, where the center stack gets a refined layout and finish compared to the current model. Atop the center unit is what looks to be a high resolution screen. Below it is a set of preset buttons and very straightforward audio controls. Between the audio and climate controls is an inlet for CD, which means the Silverado will not follow the lead of the Spark, which will be the first car on the market offered without a CD player.

There are also controls for what appear to be heated and cooled front seats, as well as a row of interesting toggles at the bottom, likely controlling all sorts of sensors and electronic wizardry.

Look for GM's next generation of pickups to debut next year.

Detroit's significance to the history of the automobile is inarguable, and that makes it the only metropolis in America that we care to note when another candle is added to its cake. Today, the town that's known as both the Motor City and Motown celebrates its 311th birthday. It was founded on July 24, 1701 by French explorer Antoine de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, whose name was later immortalized as General Motors' luxury car brand.

What began as a French fort and fur-trading settlement grew to become this country's hub of manufacturing in the 20th century, but now Detroit finds itself in a process of recalibration. The globalization of the auto industry has deflated the city's population to its lowest level in 100 years – some 713,777 inhabitants – down from a high of 1.85 million in 1950.

Where it goes from here is up for debate, but we don't expect its identity as America's, if not the world's, Motor City to be threatened any time soon.

Happy Birthday, Detroit.

The Chevrolet Malibu will wear a Holden badge when it arrives in Australia next year, General Motors announced. Engineers have begun testing the Holden Malibu to provide it with unique suspension tuning and transmission calibrations for Australian drivers. Testing is taking place in Lang Lang, Victoria.

It's common for any global car to include regional tuning ranging from ride harshness to acceleration expectations.

Judging by the photos released, the right-hand drive Malibu looks nearly identical to the American Chevrolet version.

Hopefully, Australians will have to adjust to the power button on the stereo being in the wrong place, something Americans had to deal with when the Holden Commodore arrived on U.S. shores as the Pontiac G8.

Scroll down to read the press release.